ESA medical help and advice needed please

My Mum is due to go for her ESA medical on the 26th and the whole thing is worrying her so much she is getting to the point where she is telling me she just can't go on so I would really appreciate some help to know what we can do to prepare.

She suffers from osteoarthritis following a failed partial discetomy with constant pain in her hips and back which affect her walking and her sitting and standing. She has had physio and facet joint injections which have failed to help her condition. She has chronic depression and anxiety attacks.

She was previously on IB but last year completed the ESA50 and was awarded ESA without a medical. We were unaware that there were different groups that you were put in but now realise that she was put into WRAG. This would mean she is now approaching the 365 day limit.

I would just really appreciate any help anyone can give to help me help her prepare for this, she is getting so worried that she will fail and be left with no money and as she is 58 and with poor health she would never be able to do anything.

1) Your mother might find the information in this FAQ helpful in preparing for her assessment

ESA Medical – What to expect

2) If it is less than 13 months since your mother was placed in WRAG she migt still be able to appeal against it. Se would need to show 'good cause' for the late appeal, not having been aware of the different groups might be enough.

3) If your mother has no (or very little) other income and no working partner, she should be entitled to income-related ESA when the 365 days have expired.

Thank you for pointing me in that direction, I will have a good look through. She is single with no other income so I will look into the income-related ESA.

I meant to add she was awarded the highest rate of mobility on DLA indefinitely previously, is this affected in any way by her ESA medical if she is told she is no longer entitled to ESA? I realise DLA is going through a change as well but that isn't due for review yet as far as I can tell.

Your mother's DLA can be reviewed at any time under the 'right payment program'. However, claimants are selected for this at random,as far as I am aware. There are only a couple of places where the ESA and DLA criteria coincide, for instance ESA mobility descriptors are curently more stringent than DLA so failure of ESA does not neccesarily mean that the claimant would not be eligble for DLA.